STAPLE Hill Sprouts Club has joined forces with local residents and traders to bring new life to the planters along the High Street and in Fountain Square.
Sprouts Club is only a year old but is already making a big difference in the local community.
The sessions are aimed at children aged from seven to 11 and offer gardening and nature activities. These amazing young people have already brightened up the area around the Community Hub on Nelson Road.
Not content with just improving this small area, organiser Aimee-Claire Eyermann, along with local traders, is now encouraging other people across the community to discover their green fingers and make the High Street a more welcoming area for shoppers and visitors.
A successful application to WECA’s Bee Bold Fund saw them purchase a range of pollinator-friendly plants which residents and traders spent a busy Sunday morning in April planting.
Aimee-Claire said: “It was fantastic to see so many people of all ages give up their time to weed, dig and plant.
“These flowers attract important pollinators like bees and butterflies to our local area, which is one of the aims of the Bee Bold funding.
“It was brilliant to see some of our “Sprouts” joining in with their families and representing our local community.”
Lucy Rhyddid, of Valkyrie Hair & Beauty on the High Street, helped organise the day and has taken the lead on looking after the planters for the past year.
She said: “We’re so proud of our community. We hope this will make Staple Hill High Street an even more beautiful place to come and shop and spend time. We’ve had several shop owners helping out and they really appreciated the effort being put in.
“Blue Sky Cafe and Amaretto Italian Treats opened for the day and thanks to Ian at Staple Hill News for coming out with a bag of sweets for the young people. We even had a donation of free vegan sausage rolls from Raf who has just opened Pasty Paradise on the Square.”
Aimee-Claire added: “This is just the first of what we hope will become regular community gardening in Staple Hill.
“Last autumn the Staple Hill Partnership rejuvenated the planters by the cross roads – the tulips and daffodils have added a splash of colour to the street and we have plants that are great for wildlife. It just makes the area feel more loved and welcoming, we couldn’t have done it without our amazing volunteers.”
Further community gardening days are planned during spring and summer – check Staple Hill Community Hub’s Facebook page and website for updates.
You can also get involved in the project or nominate an area for a gardening day by emailing Aimee-Claire at aimeeclaireeyermann@gmail.com or calling 07972 919159.
Staple Hill Sprouts Club meets on Wednesdays from 4-6pm and has spaces available. The club is free to join and the Sprouts take part in a range of outdoor activities as well as gardening.
Matthew Pick